Due to the country’s considerable prosperity, quick technological adoption, and early participation in the online shopping revolution by supermarkets and department stores, the UK has long been a leader in the world’s eCommerce business. The UK has long had a culture of online purchasing, and this culture has fueled eCommerce innovation and high-tech adoption among firms and consumers. This early foray into the eCommerce industry proves this.
While the UK’s retail industry is slowing down, the eCommerce business saw growth in 2018, reaching 175 billion euros, and is projected to reach 200 billion euros by the end of this year.
Although many of the top eCommerce sites in the UK are regional extensions of their US-based parent companies, the local UK eCommerce sector is nevertheless thriving because of a number of major retailers, a huge number of specialised eCommerce sites, and favourable consumer market conditions: 95 per cent of people use the internet, and 87 per cent of them reportedly purchase online. In the UK, the eCommerce environment is favourable and is only expected to improve.
Top 20 Ecommerce Platforms For UK Businesses – Techlion
Knowing the key companies will help you better grasp the UK’s eCommerce market. As of December 2019, the top 10 brands in the UK are a combination of US giants like Amazon and eBay and UK giants with origins in offline shopping, like Argos and John Lewis. The hybrid that is typical of eCommerce in the UK is created by blending this with eCommerce purists like Asos.
What stands out is the dominance of markets and brands engaged in competition across a wider spectrum of categories. It is crucial to remember that there is a flourishing market for specialised websites with a loyal customer following outside of the top 10.
We have examined the best performing UK eCommerce sites using SimilarWeb to offer you the top 10 most popular sites.
1. Amazon UK
220.7 million monthly visits are projected.
Unsurprisingly, Amazon’s UK site is the top-ranking e-commerce site in the country, as well as the fourth-best site overall in the country and the 42nd best site worldwide.
Amazon began as an online book retailer but has since developed into a superpower, dominating the majority of eCommerce sectors, from computers and electronics to books and literature to TV and movie streaming.
2. eBay UK
146.3 million monthly visits are projected.
eBay has long been recognised as a location where people can buy and sell gadgets, vehicles, clothing, collectables, sports equipment, digital cameras, baby products, discounts, and other stuff they prefer to buy online.
Due to its broad selection of products, it, like Amazon, caters to a variety of market segments and draws clients from a wide range of social groups.
3. Asos
33.75 million monthly visitors are anticipated.
Since its establishment in 2000, the British company Asos has grown to become a global favourite in the fashion eCommerce industry, ranking fifth globally in the lifestyle/fashion and clothing sector.
Asos currently supplies to all 196 countries from fulfilment centres in the UK, US, and EU, offers more than 850 brands, and has its own line of apparel and accessories. Young adults from all around the world make up the majority of its market.
4. Currys PC World
26.97 million monthly visitors are anticipated.
Currys PC World began as a computer shop before expanding to become one of the biggest eCommerce sites in the UK, offering a wide selection of TVs, washing machines, stoves, cameras, laptops, tablets, and other items.
They provide free home delivery, online reservations, and services for pick-up in-store with both their online and physical stores. They are specialised in the technology/consumer electronics and computer electronics categories, where they are ranked ninth.
The websites that are best suited to serve all categories and demographics will continue to attract customers as the eCommerce sector grows and people who have been resistant to shifting their purchasing habits online. Websites that sell goods via affiliates or by diversifying their own lines fall under this category.
5. Gumtree
14.85 million monthly visitors are projected.
Gumtree was the first free classifieds website in the UK, enabling users to buy, sell, and trade anything from cars to houses to jobs in their neighbourhood.
One in three individuals uses Gumtree every month, which is still the top classifieds website in the UK. It is the highest-ranked in the marketplace category as a platform for exchanging products, employment, or residences.
6. Argos
13.44 million monthly visitors are anticipated.
One of the top online retailers in the UK, Argos offers more than 60,000 items online and in-store, including toys, clothing, gadgets, home goods, jewellery, gardening supplies, and much more.
They draw clients from a wide spectrum of demographics by collaborating with well-known companies like Bose, Beats, Dyson, LEGO, Nespresso, and Samsung.
7. John Lewis & Partners
11.03 million monthly visits are projected.
John Lewis offers information on anything from the latest fashion, home décor, and apparel trends to electronics, cosmetic goods, and even finance and optometry.
The spread of the global retail behemoths, which began in the UK, has now expanded to Australia and the Republic of Ireland. With a varied selection of items, they draw clients from all demographics.
8. Tesco
9.346 million monthly visitors are anticipated.
Tesco is a large grocery chain in the UK with 3,400 locations around the country and a successful eCommerce division that ranks first in the country for the food and drink/grocery sector.
Tesco has moved beyond groceries to compete in a wide range of industries, drawing customers from all demographics. These ventures include clothes, banking, telecoms, and more.
9. Marks & Spencer
8.843 million monthly visits are anticipated.
Customers may shop for apparel, home goods, furniture, cosmetics, food, wine, flowers, and presents at Marks & Spencer, an all-in-one online department store. Free shipping, store pick-ups, and refunds are offered.
Marks & Spencer excels in the fashion and garment industries, but they have also expanded into M & S Bank, M & S Energy, and M & S Opticians, making them a contender in many different businesses.
10. Asda
6.936 million monthly visits are anticipated.
Asda is an online retailer that sells products from the George Clothing and George Home brands in addition to fresh foods. In order to save their customers time and money, they also offer insurance, delivered right to their door.
Families may find everything they need on the eCommerce site Asda. Although they provide a variety of products, they rank second in the food and beverage/grocery area.
11. Shopify
According to search traffic, Shopify is presently by far the most well-liked eCommerce platform in the UK. This is partly because it’s one of the simplest to set up and customise.
With very little coding experience, you can develop a distinctive online store using their wide selection of themes and applications.
With Shopify Payments, they also make it super simple to start taking credit card payments. Additionally, they may assist you in beginning to sell offline using Shopify POS.
The primary drawback of Shopify is that it is not the most affordable choice available. However, you may test their site without having to pay anything with a 14-day free trial (no credit card needed).
12. EKM
EKM was the first cloud-based eCommerce platform in the UK when it was established in 2002. EKM appears to be pretty comparable to Shopify, but as they are wholly located in the UK, they are generally more aware of UK company requirements.
They provide an all-inclusive eCommerce platform with all you need to conduct online business, including your own domain name and the capacity to accept payments. Your business will seem distinctive because they offer over 150 themes. Additionally, all eCommerce functionalities are included with all plans as standard features, so you won’t need to pay extra for pricey add-on applications.
13. BigCommerce
BigCommerce BigCommerce provides three options for companies wishing to create an online store. A comprehensive platform for boosting sales, optimising operations, and expanding to new channels is what their basic solution for small businesses provides.
Larger companies have the option of choosing their Enterprise package, which provides “an e-commerce platform with improved stability and cutting-edge capabilities for administering your whole organisation.” Finally, in contrast to the other platforms mentioned, they also provide custom solutions for wholesalers and B2B companies.
BigCommerce’s latest visual merchandiser is called Store Design. The Theme Editor’s prior functionality for modifying the theme’s appearance and feel has been included with this release. The capabilities for the upcoming edition of visual merchandising are laid forth in this release (Widgets, Dynamic Widgets, CMS Promos, etc.).
14. Big Cartel
Major Cartel One of the most well-liked eCommerce sites in the UK, Big Cartel, places a particular emphasis on artists. According to them, nearly a million manufacturers, designers, singers, and other artists use Big Cartel to create a distinctive online store and manage a creative company.
Their platform gives you the option of customising your store’s appearance with a variety of pre-made themes or by manually modifying the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
They assert that you can manage your business from any phone or tablet since their site is mobile-friendly.
15. Magento
Magento is undoubtedly the most potent eCommerce platform on our list, but that strength comes at a price. Its top-tier plans are far more expensive than those of its rivals, but they provide you with almost complete control over how your site functions and appears.
In general, there are only two true Magento alternatives. The first is Magento Open Source (formerly Community Edition), which is an open-source platform for small companies and developers that is free and adaptable. However, specialised Magento site hosting is needed.
16. WooCommerce
According to the report, WooCommerce is now the most popular eCommerce platform by market share. It is used by 11% of the top 10,000 eCommerce websites (an additional 9% use WooCommerce Checkout).
WooCommerce is based on WordPress and is “free.” You now have access to the broadest selection of plugins and themes available on any internet platform.
The platform’s biggest drawback in comparison to Shopify or EKM is that it takes a little more technical know-how to set up. Along with choosing a website layout and installing unique plugins, you’ll also need to acquire your own WooCommerce hosting and payment processor.
Additionally, you won’t have access to specialised customer service like you would with a platform like Shopify or EKM, so you could be on your own if you run into issues with your business.
17. PrestaShop
PrestaShop is a free and open-source eCommerce platform with more than one million users, according to its developers. The free basic version of the programme works similarly to WooCommerce. However, compared to Shopify or EKM, that comes with the trade-off of having to do more of the setup yourself.
You’ll need to arrange for web hosting and get your own payment gateway, at the very least.
To make this procedure a little simpler, both 1&1 and Siteground provide hosting plans created exclusively for PrestaShop. (Note: They favour 1 & 1 as a solution.)
18. Lightspeed
Lightspeed offers a full eCommerce solution in addition to their EPOS system, for which they are well known.
If you intend to operate an omnichannel retail business, this is very effective (industry speak for selling on and off-line). From SEO-friendly sites to marketing tools to unique themes and applications, their platform has everything you’d want in an eCommerce software solution.
They claim to have over 50,000 clients in over 100 countries and to process over £12 billion in transactions per year. Additionally, they assert that the average growth that Lightspeed users enjoy in the first year of use is 20%.
Finally, you may try it out for a free 14-day trial before committing.
19. Ecwid
According to the description, Ecwid is a little different from some of the other platforms listed. It may easily be included in your current website, company profile on a social network, blog, marketplace, or mobile app.
One control panel is used to sync and manage all of the stores.
Since they host it and there is no need for installation, it is a cloud-based platform. It may be added to any website using a widget or a plugin for websites powered by WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Wix.
With a Free Forever Plan and the Unlimited Plan, which is still only £99/mo (+VAT), pricing is incredibly competitive.
20. Etsy Shop / Pattern
Etsy/Pattern ShopEtsy describes itself as the world’s marketplace for distinctive and inventive items. Their primary business is the sale of handmade, antique, and craft supply items. So establishing an Etsy store may make sense if you offer those kinds of goods.
Setting up your own eCommerce website and selling directly on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay are on opposite ends of the spectrum from selling on Etsy. You may showcase your items in your own dedicated Etsy shop. However, you also get access to their 29 million global buyers.
On Etsy, selling is free, but there are listing costs (£0.15), transaction fees (3.5%), and fees for processing payments (4% + 20p).
You may create a standalone website using their Pattern solution that is not part of the Etsy store (although inventory is synced and managed centrally through Shop Manager). It’s a rather inexpensive option to set up an eCommerce site, with the first 30 days being free and the subsequent $15 USD/month.
Last words
A balanced mix of marketplaces, department shops, and specialised retailers make up the top eCommerce players in the UK. We can anticipate that many of these websites will prosper as digital retail continues to develop. Who will remain on the list in the next few years is still to be determined.